Radiant Beauty
by WittyRemarks
Summary: As one would know, every prince needs a princess. But not all princesses are easy to figure out. KonoSetsu and AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Radiant Beauty**

**Chapter 1**

**By WittyRemarks**

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, lived a charming young prince by the name of Sakurazaki Setsuna, soon-to-be-leader of the Kanto region. Although unknown to many, the prince was, in actuality, a princess that held the title in order to carry out the Sakurazaki name.

Sakurazaki was often a name to be feared by many in the surrounding areas. Not only did they have the most influence over half of the country, but also had the control of the tribes of demons that have been rumoured to serve Japan's most powerful. Although Setsuna was a half-demon, her surrogate father had left quite a reputation of being the strongest and well-respected demon of the country.

Despite her short stature, she was well versed in the art of Shinmeiryuu sword wielding and had a quite graceful and humble personality, making her the utmost ideal prince. The people in the kingdom would swoon over her good looks for hours, making it almost impossible to go outside the castle without having fan girls and fan boys alike surrounding her like she was a fresh slice of raw meat.

It was because of this that she often wandered idly around the castle by herself. Even with all the servants and maids all around, she still felt very alone. With both the king and the queen passed away when she was very young and her best friend living in another castle, she often found herself consulting with the wise old adviser who had a very strange hobby.

Konoe Konoemon enjoyed playing match maker with her. He often answered all of her troubles with "Come now, Prince, let a young maiden will ease your heart. If a marriage isn't going to solve your problems, then I'm not sure what can."

As one would know, every prince needs a princess. But not all princesses are easy to find.

Konoe wrote letters mimicking her tone of speech to convince women to come to the castle. She often found herself being dragged into meetings with ladies from various states because she felt it would be wrong to reject them immediately if they came all this way to meet her. She had tried to tell the old man but it was hard enough to argue with someone of that elderly age. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in ladies but no one caught her attention.

At least not until one faithful morning.

Setsuna was sitting against the window frame in her room—half enjoying the peaceful view and quiet tan. Although her skin was drinking in the warmth of the light, she was still rather pale in comparison to everyone else in the kingdom. The blazing sun brought vivid life into the narrow streets and people bustling around like ants around an ant hill. It was like this almost every morning with the exception of this.

Her sharp ears picked up on a loud scream. She peered down into the streets below and watched as a young girl being pursued by two large heavily-built men. Without thinking, she leapt from the windows edge and landed gracefully in the cushioning lawn that the servants had finished trimming just a mere two hours ago.

She had the physical agility to dash past the gates and almost caught up to the troubling trio. If her suspicions were correct, the two burly figures must have been loan sharks who often harass its debtors long before they even collect their due.

Although it was not her business, as a prince, it was her duty to protect her citizens from troubling behaviour.

It must have been luck when the damsel in distress decided to a few street corners and found herself in between three sharp teeth. One more decided to step in her way that gave her no chance of escape unless she was magically able to fly away. She staggered up against a wall and silently cursed to herself while the three men made slow advances.

"You're due for two stinkin' weeks but how'z about we get what's ours now? What do ya say?"

She screamed. That's all she could do. She couldn't fight those hooligans unless she wanted to crumble like tea biscuits in their massive fingers.

"That's not an answer, bitch!" He grabbed her small neck with his rough hands and proceeded to choke her unconscious.

"I hereby order you to cease and desist!" A self-righteous tone called out. Three pairs of eyes turned around, alerted. Behind them stood a gallant young hero with arms crossed and her glare pierced through them like a crow's clutch.

"Shit. It's the prince! RUN!" The three scurried away quickly, ashamed of their actions. It was never a smart thing to mess with the prince, especially since she could easily take down hundreds of their kind in a single blow.

Satisfied with herself, Setsuna glanced down at the trembling girl and raised a hand in front of her. She was surprised when her hand was swatted away and the girl stood up quickly and bowed before straightening up.

It wasn't until she was standing that she got a good look at the marvelling beauty before her. Her auburn hair fell neatly against her back as she stood. She wore a loosely fitted blue tunic and a white mini-skirt. Although her face was terribly flushed from this ordeal, the girl was quite attractive. Her hazel orbs reflected sorrow and confusion at the young prince.

Without realizing, she reached out her hand to stroke the fair skin on her face. Once again her hand was knocked aside and her puzzled eyes fixed themselves at the other girl's angry stare.

Setsuna could feel her face heat up like a kettle and quietly mumbled an apology. "I'm sorry."

_Smack. _

"No," the other girl said with a firm voice, "Royalty or not, you guys are all the same." It was hard to believe with this attitude that she was the trembling girl from before.

She was speechless.

No one had dared lay a finger on her unless they were asking for death. And yet, this girl was not only insulting her by putting her into the same category as those loan sharks but also managed to catch her off guard so easily.

She could feel her face burning more so than before. Part because she was embarrassed by being caught up in her fantasies and part because her cheek was throbbing in pain after the strong contact on her face.

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for what I did." The angry stare melted, "But thank you for saving me." The auburn-hair girl gave Setsuna a look of gratitude and then stared at the ground.

"Oh, it was n-nothing..." She stuttered, staring down also.

Silence.

"Can you walk?"

"Huh?" Setsuna pointed down at her bleeding ankle. Curiously, she looked down and stumbled forward, only to be caught by two strong arms keeping her from falling.

She tilted the girl to the side of one arm and used the other arm to support the knees of the trembling girl. Setsuna could smell the sweet floral scent on her from the close proximity. Very alluring.

"H-hey! Put me down."

"Not until you get some medical attention. Your ankle could easily get an infection and scar if you left it like this." With that, wings sprout out from her back and lifted both her and the girl off the ground.

Normally she would have run to the nearest medical office but taking the aerial route had always calmed her mind. Especially since she was carrying such a marvelling beauty in her arms, she was handling her tightly in case the girl got any ideas of jumping from her grasp.

Once they reached the gates of the castle, she swiftly flew down through the window of the empty medical office. In result of hearing a loud flapping sound, the door opened with the nurse peering in, "Prince, you should really use the door if you're going to come in."

"Sorry Ako but this young lady needs to get her ankle fixed up now." She set the brown hair girl down on the empty bed and removed her sandals to allow the nurse to examine it.

Ako quickly looked over and started reaching into the cabinet to pull out some tools. "You make it sound like it's a death wound. It's just an ankle. Careful, this might hurt a bit." She took some alcohol-filled cotton balls and rubbed it against the ankle.

The girl stiffened as the stinging sensation ran down her leg. She was relieved when the cotton balls were removed and quickly wrapped the ankle some gauze and a long bandage. "There, should be all better."

"Will it leave a scar?" The nurse looked over at the prince, "I don't know. As long as she doesn't pick it while it's healing it should be fine. But just in case..." She reached on the table and picked up a tube of ointment and gave it to the girl. "Apply it three times each day and it should reduce the scarring."

"T-Thanks." She graciously accepted it.

"You know, I thought you weren't interested in girls. But you never told me about this cutie. Who is she?" Ako, who was one of the few that knew her secret, looked curiously at Setsuna who flushed in response.

"I just met her—"

"IZUMI, ROOM 131!" Ako felt panicked and quickly put away her tools.

"And I'm needed in another room. Please be careful next time." With that, she zoomed out of the room, leaving the two alone in the quiet nursing room. The half demon fiddled with her thumbs idly as she leaned against the pale wall.

"I should get going..." The girl sat up and picked up her sandals off the floor with her feet.

"Can you—" Her question was answered when she stood before her without stumbling. Those hazel orbs stared right at her.

"Konoe Konoka."

Setsuna blinked. "Huh?"

"My name... Heh, are you dumb?"

"Wha—what kind of question is that?"

"You don't know when a lady introduces herself. I thought the great prince was a smooth talker," she mused.

Setsuna stood there bewildered.

"But thanks again." She leaned over and quickly planted a kiss on Setsuna's cheek.

Setsuna's mind melted from overdrive. She couldn't predict what the girl was going to do or say next. Normally people treated her as a superior and of royal decent, but this stunning young lady treated her as if she was just any ordinary being.

It wasn't until she heard the door close that she cursed herself.

_Why were women so hard to understand?_

It's been a very long while since I've written fanfiction. I've abandoned my other pen name since I didn't have the motivation to write those stories again. I know it was a tad OOC near the end though. It is a tad weird to be addressing her as "Prince" but I felt it suited her more than "Your excellency". Excuse my poor editing skills, I don't normally like having a beta reader around since they always pressure me to do my work. I like working at my own pace so...

As always, constructive criticism is always welcome.

**WittyRemarks**


	2. Chapter 2

**Radiant Beauty**

**Chapter 2**

**By WittyRemarks**

Setsuna didn't understand. Ever since two days ago, all she had on her mind was that serene beauty. She felt as if she had been shot by a love cupid as all she did was sitting idly in her room window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her again. She had so many questions she wanted answered.

What did she think of her? Did she already have a significant other? What was her favourite color? Does she hate her?

Considering the last gift she gave her before she left the nursing room, it was possible she didn't scornfully loathe her.

She ran her hand down her cheek and continued watching the outside view.

_Konoe Konoka..._

She frowned at the realization. For the past two days, a thought had never crossed her mind. She had wanted to get into contact with the young lady but it would have been wrong to barge into every house to see if she was there. The prince also didn't want people to think she was desperate just because she wanted to scrounge high and low to find that one maiden that captured her attention. She wondered if there was an easier way of finding her.

She jumped off the window ledge and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. If one person were to know where she was, it was possible her own advisor would know. She stood in front of his office and rapped on his door. "Greetings Konoe."

"Come in." Once the door was open, an old man with a long azure robe was seen sitting at his large desk sorting through scattered papers. "Prince, please have a seat." He made a gesture towards the large chair across from him.

"Thank you." She said politely. Setsuna sat across from Konoemon on the desk and peered down at the papers.

"So what brings you here today?" He grinned. "I know, you must be excited to meet the new line up of ladies we have for you."

"Do you know a young lady by the name of Konoe Konoka?"

That smile melted off his face. His eyes looked up at her with an astonishing look. "Where did you hear that name from?"

"I met her a few days ago—"

"Don't get involved with commoners, Prince. They are nothing but a troubling bunch."

"So you do know her?"

"No, I do not."

"But you mentioned commoner. Besides, we don't have many people with the name of Konoe around here. Are you sure she's not a relative of yours?" she questioned.

"Why don't you pick from this bunch? We have Kagurazaka Asuna and Miyazaki Nodoka from the other kingdoms. Aren't they cute?" he said as he shoved the photos of the two ladies in front of her.

Setsuna frowned and placed the photos face down. "Are you purposely trying to avoid my questions?"

"I only want the best for you, Setsuna-kun."

Somehow she doubted that.

"Forget it then." She leapt off the chair and started towards the door. "By the way. Negi-kun said he's dating Miyazaki already. Please take her off the list."

The old man looked down at her file. He angrily scrunched it up into a small photo and tossed it, missing the nearby trash can.

She didn't understand what got Konoemon so upset. He had never avoided her questions like that before. At least not from what she can remember anyway.

"Greetings Prince." A tall man suddenly appeared in front of her, wearing a light smile on his face. His short white hair swayed as he removed the hood on his head.

"Takahata, what brings you here?" He was never seen in the area. He opened a small dark portal and reached his hand into the whirl of magic. Then he produced a white envelope with the red Springfield seal.

"A letter for you from Negi-kun."

"Thank you. You need not trouble yourself." She reached out and gracefully accepted the letter.

"Oh, it is no trouble at all. Goodbye Prince." With that, he disappeared in a cloud of whirling mist.

She retreated back into her room. There was a large desk in her room empty with a few empty papers and a bottle of ink and a quill. Taking a seat in the large comfortable chair, she ran her finger along the envelope's sealed edge and tore off the seal.

She unfolded the letter and touched a character carefully scripted on the page. The letter began to illuminate.

"Greetings Setsuna-san!" A cheerful voice called out to her. An image of a small boy figure dressed in royal red attire stood before her and bowed.

Prince Negi Springfield. Her best friend who lived in another region. He was everything that she aspired to be, despite his young age. Negi was the gentle and kind prince who charmed everyone around him. He was known for leading powerful armies of mages who were sent out to help resolve wars and sought out peace. This kept him very busy.

"How are you? I feel like I haven't talked to you in a long time. I have been caught up in managing some incidents here that I lost track of time. But it's nothing compared to you managing the entire Kanto region."

She chuckled. As a prince, she was quite free. Most of her decisions were made through a number of advisors who managed different states under her name. Her only responsibility was to look like a charming figurehead until she was granted the title King.

"Did you find a princess yet?" She frowned. Normally he wouldn't ask her about things like this.

"I heard from Izumi-san that you brought home a stunning young woman. Nodoka has been very kind to me but I'm still not sure it if it will work out. You should visit! Goodbye!"

_I think I will. _

"Oh Daddy! You should go back to sleep. I'll bring you lunch when I'm done." Eishun had stumbled into the kitchen to see what his only daughter preparing lunch. Although his head was slightly throbbing, he was curious.

"I'll be alright. What's for lunch?" He peered over her shoulder to see her chopping up tofu in a consistent manner.

"Miso soup, bean sprout salad, Nikujaga with rice."

"Oh! My favourite. I love my fatty beef!" In his head, he imagined a plate of rice and deliciously stewed carrots, potatoes and beef with a layer of white fat clinging to each piece. He felt himself salivating and biting into each savoury morsel of meat.

"The doctor said it's not good for your heart, Daddy." Konoka quietly reminded him. "So I'm using leaner beef this time."

"But the beef will be so dry…" His image of his favourite dish shattered in his mind.

"I brought down the heat and letting it cook longer so it won't be as dry." She smiled and tossed the chopped tofu into the pot of miso soup.

"Thank you Konoka." He gave her a small squeeze on the shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"I want you to get better Daddy. So go back to bed now. " He smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

She brought the soup spoon to her lips and tasted a bit of the hot spewing liquid. Then she reached into her cabinet and pulled out the salt and lightly sprinkled it into the pot.

"One beef stew!" The strong aromatic scent of the beefy mixture often aroused the senses of many passersby. It was because of this that the small restaurant was still open even if they only served a few popular dishes.

"Coming!" Konoka quickly grabbed a plate and swiftly plopped a giant scoop of rice on one half of the plate and poured a scoop of beef stew on the other half.

"450 yen please." The sounds of coins and the plate hit the table almost simultaneously in sync. "Thank you very much. Next please!" She swept the coins off the table and tossed them into the jar behind her with her back still behind in the customer.

"I'll have what he's having please."

"Coming right up!" she reached for the plate and dropped a scoop of rice and beef stew. "450 yen please." As she turned around to face the customer, her hands slipped and dropped the plate of food.

_Clank. _

The customer instantly pulled Konoka out of danger before the plate hit and splattered its scalding contents along the floor.

Konoka was more startled by being swept up into the arms of a stranger than being worried about being scalded by the hot liquids.

"Are you alright miss… Konoka?"

"Eek! Pervert!"

Nikujaga – Japanese style stew often with minced pork, beef etc. Oh how I crave it so! It's often a staple food in Japan popular among commoners.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

There may be some changes in the upcoming chapters. I wrote this chapter years ago and I've changed my writing since then. I would like to finish the story eventually but we will see with time.

**WittyRemarks**


End file.
